Phantom Rose

85%
Game Brain Score Based on 191 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Phantom Rose Game Cover
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"Phantom Rose" is a roguelike deckbuilding card game where you play as Reina, a maid exploring a haunted mansion. Carefully manage your card deck and cooldowns to defeat evil creatures, with the goal of collecting over 100 unique cards and items. Each death is permanent, adding a layer of challenge to the exploration and battles.

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Reviews

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 191 reviews
gameplay35 positive mentions
grinding4 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful art and a charming aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.
  • The unique card mechanic, where cards are consumed after use, adds a layer of strategy and resource management that keeps gameplay engaging.
  • The developer is responsive to feedback and actively works on updates, improving the game over time.
  • The balance of the game can be inconsistent, with some builds feeling nearly unusable due to RNG and enemy mechanics.
  • The gameplay loop can become repetitive quickly, and the music may feel stale after extended play sessions.
  • The user interface can be confusing, making it difficult to track card effects and manage resources effectively.
  • gameplay92 mentions

    The gameplay is a unique blend of deckbuilding mechanics with a focus on resource management, featuring a vanishing card system that encourages strategic play but can lead to balancing issues and RNG frustrations. While many players appreciate the charming art and addictive nature of the game, some find the gameplay repetitive and overly simplistic, especially after extended play. Overall, it offers a fresh take on the genre, though it may not satisfy everyone due to its inherent challenges and pacing.

    • “Addictive and fun, with refreshing gameplay.”
    • “The music, aesthetic, and interesting gameplay which emphasizes resource management and practicality over brute force and speed killing forces you to be efficient, which is great.”
    • “Cards as a resource is a clever mechanic that really sets this game apart from the many deck builders out there that play similarly to each other.”
    • “The gameplay loop becomes boring very fast.”
    • “The core gameplay problems are still persistent.”
    • “The game is unbalanced; the mechanics of vanishing cards are horrible. By losing cards, I cannot even get to the boss if my luck is bad and must use my cards in the early battles.”
  • graphics54 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful and charming art style, which combines anime and gothic elements, creating a visually appealing experience. While some users noted inconsistencies in visual quality, particularly with basic card artwork, the overall aesthetic, including the UI and animations, is considered a strong point that enhances the gameplay. The soundtrack also complements the visuals, contributing to an engaging atmosphere that many players appreciate.

    • “The art style and UI design are absolutely beautiful, and my only complaint is a bit of balancing issues, but it constantly being improved.”
    • “The artwork is beautiful, it has great effects and animations, and it has me hooked.”
    • “The art style is gorgeous, the gameplay is challenging, and most important of all, it's full of waifus!”
    • “Some elements of the visuals and presentation are reasonably effortful while others are extremely bare, such as random events that are just black screens with a bit of text.”
    • “Originally, I bought this game knowing that it was flawed simply because I adored the art style and was hoping the dev would one day fix it.”
    • “The visuals are clearly its strongest point.”
  • music53 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to set the mood, with many reviewers highlighting its thematic and atmospheric qualities. However, a common criticism is its repetitiveness, as players note that the limited number of tracks can lead to a stale experience over time. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the game's aesthetic, a desire for more variety is frequently expressed.

    • “Not a fan of deck building games, but this one caught me with its art style and music.”
    • “The vibes from the game are eerie yet adorable, the music is incredible, and the mechanics are amazing and easy to catch on.”
    • “I love the beautiful artwork, and the music is nice too.”
    • “I think the soundtrack gets a little repetitive after a few runs in a row, but it's beautiful nonetheless.”
    • “And while the single piano soundtrack goes well with the art direction and story, conveying that elegant yet melancholic vibe, its loneliness unfortunately greatly contributes to the game's static, sleepy feeling.”
    • “Sound effects and audio are great quality, but the music is dull and repetitive.”
  • story30 mentions

    The story in the game is largely criticized for being vague, incoherent, and lacking depth, often feeling like an afterthought overshadowed by gameplay mechanics. While some players appreciate the minimalistic and esoteric storytelling approach, many find the narrative disjointed and reliant on unlockable lore that fails to provide meaningful context. Overall, the story is seen as a weak aspect of the game, with a desire for more substantial content and clearer connections between plot elements.

    • “The story does a good job at slowly unveiling itself as you play, with the occasional image and short cutscene.”
    • “In this industry where so many games are incredibly obnoxious in their narration, such discrete storytelling is refreshing.”
    • “Very impressive art with a multiple playthrough story progression system that doesn't need words to let you understand the gist of what's happening.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story is rather vague, unclear, and in the background.”
    • “The story only makes sense when you play the second game.”
    • “The actual story is barely coherent, with random lore documents that either explain nothing or are explanations void of context and thus are tantamount to nothing.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game is praised for its high replayability, featuring permanent unlocks and diverse gameplay options that encourage multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the strategic depth and the potential for extended playtime, especially with mod support. While it may lack some polish compared to similar titles, the in-game achievements and variety keep the experience fresh and engaging.

    • “Highly replayable, there's good permanent unlocks to gain using the rewards you get for finishing a run.”
    • “Like all good roguelikes, Phantom Rose has great replay value and gives you many options to make your runs even more diverse.”
    • “The game might not have Steam achievements, but there are achievements in-game that grant you skins for clearing them, some of them are quite tricky, which further adds to the replay value.”
    • “With games like this, I always feel like you add about 100 hours of replayability if you allow people to mod your game.”
    • “The game might not have Steam achievements, but there are achievements in-game that grant you skins for clearing them; some of them are quite tricky, which further adds to the replay value.”
    • “Still a fun game, get it at full price if the art and easy-to-learn, but replayable gameplay grabs your attention.”
  • atmosphere8 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its beautiful art and haunting piano soundtrack, which effectively complements the gothic style and overall mood. Players appreciate the unique blend of visuals and music that creates an immersive experience, although some suggest adding more varied musical elements to enhance the atmosphere further. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that elevates the gameplay experience.

    • “I'm not really a fan of card-based games and most rogue-likes, but I like this one a lot for the atmosphere it creates with its beautiful art and music.”
    • “A very unique deck-building game that managed to carve its own special niche in the genre with its all-perma-use cards and oppressive atmosphere.”
    • “The art style and feel of the game is wonderful, including the music and the atmosphere of the game.”
    • “I very unique deck-building game that managed to carve its own special niche in the genre with its all perma-use cards and oppressive atmosphere.”
    • “The entire atmosphere of the game has a goth-like style which I really dig.”
    • “I'd add a few more tracks with slower tempo, frightening deep tones; it would build a better atmosphere than the unstoppable piano play!”
  • monetization5 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating the absence of in-game purchases, especially in a market saturated with microtransactions. However, concerns remain about the potential for future expansions to include monetization strategies, particularly given the game's mobile roots and previous experiences with free-to-play models. Overall, the lack of microtransactions is seen as a refreshing change, enhancing the enjoyment of the game's unlockable content.

    • “I cannot remember the last time I've had the pleasure of playing a game without microtransactions that has this many unlockables, which is a breath of fresh air.”
    • “Many enjoyed this system much more; however, it was mobile exclusive and included microtransactions as the game was free to play.”
    • “Hopefully it expands the universe for PC and doesn’t just mirror a new mobile version with in-game purchases added in.”
    • “Hopefully it expands the universe for PC and doesn’t just mirror a new mobile version with in-game purchases added in.”
    • “Many enjoyed this system much more; however, it was mobile exclusive and included microtransactions as the game was free to play.”
    • “I cannot remember the last time I've had the pleasure of playing a game without microtransactions that has this many unlockables, which is a breath of fresh air.”
  • grinding4 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and reminiscent of mobile games, with many hours spent on achievement hunting and repetitive tasks that obscure crucial information. This has resulted in a slow and frustrating gameplay experience.

    • “The HUD in this game is just incredibly unhelpful and actively obscures crucial information behind needless and tedious micro chores.”
    • “Sunk hundreds of hours achievement hunting, arcade grinding, and murdering time (literally and metaphorically) while not listening to my teachers.”
    • “Feels like a mobile game for how grindy it is.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players express that the game evokes strong emotions, often leading to feelings of frustration or self-doubt, particularly regarding decision-making and resource management. This emotional impact can hinder their enjoyment and desired playstyle.

    • “It made me feel like an absolute idiot, but in a good way.”
    • “It made me feel like I shouldn't waste some cards, but because of that, I wasn't playing how I wanted to.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
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